The illegal furniture malls on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway near Bavdhan have started business as usual. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) razed the unauthorized furniture stores following a complaint from the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) on November 30. As per the PMC authorities, the unauthorized structures were built on the restricted area sharing boundary with the HEMRL property. The highway traffic was already burdened by these malls. Following the HEMRL's complaint, the PMC launched an initiative to demolish the malls, which occupied one lakh square feet.
The HEMRL had raised security concerns over the illegal structures coming up in the restricted area close to its boundary alongside the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. Now that the dust has settled it is seen that the demolished furniture shops have been refurbished and started their sales operations.
Social activist Prashant Kanojia while talking to LokmatTimes.com said, “The illegal businesses on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway are operating without any fear of law. Lands are being encroached by their shops causing inconvenience to the commuters. The PMC had demolished the unauthorized furniture shops on the highway, but they have built the structures again and started their business. The civic authorities should solve this issue permanently and take strict action against the culprits.”
Executive engineer Yuvraj Deshmukh said, “The site where the structures were built is privately held. The development is prohibited because of its proximity to the Union Defense Ministry-owned HEMRL and the PMC's Biodiversity Park (BDP) reservation. A permanent solution has to be found to this issue or the vacant land will be encroached again and again. The PMC has requested the HEMRL to acquire the land so that it can be controlled by the Defense Ministry directly.”